


"Why do you not trust her?"

by orphan_account



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Arya is smarter than she seems, Jon needs a quiet life, Poor Jon Snow, family squabbles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:28:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22137814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: One shot - a talk between Jon and Arya about Daenerys. Set somewhere after 8x03 and before Jon reveals his identity in 8x04. My take of Aryas reasoning to distrust Dany and her trying to convey this to Jon.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	"Why do you not trust her?"

Arya knew she had a better chance to get through to Jon about the Dragon Queen if they spoke alone. They had always been the closest siblings growing up. Both had felt like outcasts for one reason or another. Neither had got along with Sansa much, however much things had changed now and Arya didn’t fully understand where Bran stood on Daenerys ruling Westeros. She didn’t think he really cared, he wasn’t really Bran anymore. But Arya knew if this came from her, Jon was more likely to take it seriously. He trusted her motives. He trusted Sansa as well, but Arya knew Jon still thought Sansa harboured desires of ruling herself. Arya stood a greater chance of sounding impartial on the issue. So here they were.

“Jon, I need to talk to you. About Daenerys.” Arya approached the topic bluntly. There was no point in holding back, that would not accomplish anything.

Jon looked defeated at the mention of the Dragon Queens name, but Arya knew he would hear her out. He had never denied her anything. “Arya what happened to you? You have no reason to mistrust Daenerys. She came north and saved us. Do you think we would have won the Great War without her? You may have killed the Night King Arya, but Winterfell would have fallen in minutes without the dragons in the field. As a child you were fascinated by dragons. Visenya Targaryen was a great hero of yours remember? I thought you’d see the same qualities in Daenerys. I thought you’d be in awe and admire her. She is your childhood heroine brought to life. Daenerys has been through so much and look what she has achieved. The Unsullied and the Dothraki follow her, she liberated slaves and has conquered the skies. Why do you ignore that? Why are you and Sansa doing this?” 

Poor Jon, Arya thought. He doesn’t know who we are anymore she thought. He still saw Sansa and Arya as his two baby sisters who needed to be protected. No one had protected them which was why they had become the people they were now. They had learned to protect themselves and become cautious of those who craved power. Jon hadn’t known Cersei or Joffrey, and couldn’t see that Daenerys was the same. He had become blinded by his love for her. She was an impressive woman Arya could see. She had conquered Slaver Bay and the Dothraki and was now intent on Westeros. But she was too ambitious with too much power at her disposal, with a self-righteous attitude and entitlement to Westeros. Jon didn’t understand how dangerous that was and how the country would suffer for it. He had been so focused on defeating the dead he didn’t see the political wars that were constandly brewing beneath the surface. Daenerys craved power and had one mantra: submit or die. Jon had no idea what Arya or Sansa had been through, why they harboured such distrust. How could he be so naïve? He really was so like Ned.

“Jon, we’re not children anymore. I admired Visenya, yes, wanted to be a great warrior just like her, and I’ve become that. But it is easy to admire a legend, much less a woman who has come to take the North and the country by force. Who wants her here Jon? Please tell me. She wants the seven kingdoms but they not want her. The North chose you. You had no right to give up that choice and place the North in the hands of a Targaryen. These lords lived through the Mad King, and you would hand them over to his daughter. The seven kingdoms want only peace, and she has come here with fire and blood -”

“She is not her father, she will not resort to fire and blood, Cersei will surrender”

“Your blind Jon. You’re too in love and determined to see the best in her. Stop being so naïve. I’ve been to Essos Jon, her reputation is legendary and not necessarily for the right reasons. She crucified hundreds of masters without a trial. Did they deserve it, probably, but who gave her the right to make that choice? Why does butchering them make her better? She did the same in Vaes Dothrak if I am not mistaken. Again maybe they deserved it, but who was she to make that choice? What she does she does for power and not for the will of the people. She tells herself that she is freeing the world, yet she is causing suffering by doing so. She justifies all her actions with the belief she is acting for the people. She isn’t Jon. Why do you want this person in the throne?”

Jon remained quiet for a minute but he was getting agitated, something he usually hid well. Arya felt for him. They had always been close as children and she had missed him most over the years. It pained her to see him like this. She knew it was tearing him apart to have his family fighting against his Queen, his love. Yet it had to be done. She knew he was tired of war, of fighting, and that he was confident that once Daenerys took the throne the conflicts on the realm would end, and he could live in peace. Arya had no such faith that conflict would end once Daenerys took the throne, especially by the means Arya knew the Queen would take to have that throne. 

“I gave her my word.” His answer was simple, and so very Jon. Of course he would rather die than break his word. Always doing the honourable thing. Arya pitied him. She loved him so, but she couldn’t let him put this woman on the throne. Before she could retaliate however he snapped.

“I was chosen by the North, and then I put my faith in Daenerys and she saved us. She has proved herself to us. She lost one of her dragons rescuing me from beyond the Wall. She lost half her army defeating the dead. And you say she has not earned our allegiance? How can you say that? She has lost more than any of us and the realm, owes her a debt that can never be repaid. So lets try at least by putting her on her ancestral throne. I’m sorry you don’t like her Arya, and I know Sansa is threatened by her, but my decision to bend the knee was bigger than any of us. It was about the living and the dead. We’ve won, thanks to Daenerys. She is our Queen. Now leave it and get Sansa to do the same.” Jon left the room before Arya could respond. 

Arya had never seen him like that and she didn’t like it. She never thought she would see Jon so irrational. Yes Daenerys had helped them against the dead, and she respected his decision to bend to her at the time. They had needed the dragons. Yes Winterfell would have fallen otherwise. Yet that did not change who Daenerys was. From what Arya could tell she was entitled and power hungry. She had come to Westeros to claim her ‘right’ to the throne. What did that even mean? What right had Aegon the Conqueror had when he took Westeros? If he could take the seven kingdoms and make them a single realm, by that logic the North could break free from that realm. Yet Daenerys had shown no respect or understanding to the Northerners, had no pity for the suffering they had endured, she simply demanded obedience. She had made no effort to earn the allegiance of the North. She simply took Jon’s submission for the Norths submission. Westeros was not Slavers Bay and would not fall to her as she wanted, as she expected. 

Yet what was there to do? The North was recovering from the Great War, they could not rise up and push the Targaryen Queen out. Even if they did she had two dragons. What were men to do against dragonfire? This would simply have to play out. Sansa was the diplomat, Arya thought, let her deal with the lords and warring queens. Arya had tried to get Jon to see sense, she thought if anyone could make him do that it would have been her but she was wrong. Arya feared for the fate of the realm.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading :):):) Sorry if there are any mistakes 
> 
> My first fic in literally years, I don't pretend to be a great writer, I just wish we'd been given more reasons for the Starks to distrust Daenerys and some more logic behind it and this is what went through my head xxx
> 
> I just started a Thrones insta (late to the game I know) where i post edits and videos @fireand.blood if your interested come check it out


End file.
